How Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh contributed to the Nazi cause.

Max Wallace's ambitious joint biography of American icons Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh retells some well-known stories and provides considerable new evidence of each man's deep anti-Semitism and disturbing relationships with the Third Reich. The book is based in part on new access to the Lindbergh family archives and the recent disclosure by the Ford Motor Co. of more than 90,000 pages of records concerning its Holocaust-era operations in Nazi Germany. Contrary to comfortable myths, Ford and Lindbergh were not "country club" anti-Semites who simply shared the prejudices of their time, Wallace writes in "The American Axis." They were the real thing.

Lindbergh rallied more support for Nazi Germany than any other individual in the English-speaking world.

Indeed, based on the evidence Wallace has marshaled, it is fair to say that Ford's factories and Ford himself contributed significantly to Germany's war effort, and that Lindbergh rallied more support for Nazi Germany than any other individual in the English-speaking world. Neither "caused" the Holocaust, yet both share responsibility for its devastation. That each did so while waving an American flag and preaching patriotism should give us all pause.

Wallace's text provides an interesting counterpoint to this year's public relations hoopla surrounding the centenary of the Ford Motor Co. That celebration soft-pedals or remains silent about Henry Ford's use of Ford dealerships to circulate "The International Jew," a vicious bit of conspiratorial hate literature published in pamphlet form. Many experts agree that this publication prompted more damage to innocent people than Adolf Hitler's turgid "Mein Kampf." True, as Wallace reports, Ford eventually apologized, sort of, for his activities as America's most influential anti-Semite. But Wallace also documents that Ford privately disavowed the substance of that apology shortly after it was released. Ford's editor on the pamphlet, William Cameron, remained on the payroll for years as director of public relations, according to company archives. Henry Ford's personal politics remained largely unchanged to his death in 1947.

Lindbergh believed that social progress could be achieved through birth control for poor people and forced sterilization for those he regarded as defective.

Wallace reports that aviator Charles Lindbergh's enthusiasm for Hitler's Germany emerged from his surprisingly deep contempt for democracy and his fascination with the "scientific" racial genetics of his era. Social progress could be achieved only through tight restrictions on immigration, Lindbergh believed, along with birth control for poor people and forced sterilization for those he regarded as defective.

Not least, Wallace documents some operations of a cabal of relatively influential, anti-Semitic and frequently pro-German U.S. intelligence agents between World Wars I and II. Drawing on Joseph Bendersky's 2000 study, "Jewish Threat," and on files recently released under the Freedom of Information Act, Wallace traces the clandestine support for the "Communism Is Jewish" propaganda of extremist anti-Communist emigres, as well as the highly questionable activities of Lindbergh's mentor Truman Smith, who served as the U.S. military attache in Berlin in the years running up to World War II.

Wallace has done his homework and generally remains evenhanded when evaluating his evidence. For example, he refrains from calling Lindbergh a "Nazi" as such (although President Franklin Roosevelt did use that term) and instead makes an effort to document the aviator's many contradictions.

But there are obvious questions that follow: What exactly does the epithet "Nazi" mean, and to what extent should fellow travelers such as Ford and Lindbergh be held responsible for the crimes of Hitler's regime? Such questions become particularly contentious when major business interests were involved (as in Ford's case) or when a hero promoted a form of supposed "Americanism" that is still widely embraced in the United States (as in Lindbergh's).

Wallace sidesteps direct answers, preferring to lay out his evidence and let the reader judge. Put briefly, Ford's most direct, documented role in Nazi Germany was his substantial investment in German automaking during the first decade of Hitler's rule. That in turn laid a foundation for Ford Motor's profiteering from slave labor during the Holocaust as a device to maintain market share and political influence throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. (Corporate headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., today argues, in effect, that some other Ford Motor Co. was responsible for the slave labor. There are many reasons to doubt Ford's claim, as Wallace ably demonstrates.)

Ford's "International Jew" played a role in Hitler's anti-Semitism; parts of Ford's text were used nearly verbatim in "Mein Kampf."

It is also clear that Ford's "International Jew" played a role in Hitler's evolution as an anti-Semite, in part because parts of the text were lifted and used nearly verbatim in "Mein Kampf." Wallace's evidence buttresses the widespread belief that Henry Ford helped support the early Nazi Party and American fascist organizations, though the documentation remains thin and details probably were never recorded in the first place.

Lindbergh, originally known as the first man to fly an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean, emerged in the 1930s as a world-famous and seemingly credible spokesman for a certain type of pro-Nazi apologia. Wallace demonstrates that Lindbergh regarded democracy as "degenerate," frequently praised the purportedly "proud and virile" characteristics of Hitler's regime and warned against resistance to what he viewed as Germany's unstoppable military force. The "Jewish media" were the source of hostile reports concerning Hitler's Germany, Lindbergh contended. (In reality, fewer than one percent of news organizations were owned by Jews, the American newspaper trade association reported at the time.) Lindbergh also played a remarkably important role in Britain's 1938 Munich Pact with Hitler, Wallace shows.

We can learn a great deal today from the United States' earlier fascinations with "corporatism," as fascism was once called. Max Wallace's "The American Axis" provides insightful lessons about how the twin spectacles of power and hate operated in a previous generation. Whether we'll learn quickly enough to survive the next century remains to be seen.

For more on the controversy surrounding the Ford Foundation's financial support of anti-Israel hate groups, see: http://www.jta.org/ford.asp

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Christopher Simpson is the author of "Blowback" (winner of National Jewish Book Award for Holocaust studies), "The Splendid Blond Beast" (on economics of the Holocaust and international law), and "War Crimes of the Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank: The OMGUS Reports" (on the role of major German banks in the Holocaust).

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 9

(9)
Hannah,
April 6, 2014 8:14 PM

Ford's spiritual orientation

Henry Ford was awarded the Nazi Supreme Order of the German Eagle in 1938, and he was also applauded for his "faith" by the Theosophical Society. (_The Theosophist_, December 1938, p.239). The TS was the forerunner of the New Age movement, and its core teachings are today upheld by the United Nations. This explains the phenomenon of the "new" antisemitism.Learn more by reading "the Rainbow Swastika: a report to the Jewish People".http://searchlight.iwarp.com/articles/searchlight.html

(8)
Sheila,
April 16, 2007 10:50 AM

As One Humanity

The first question we find asked in the Bible is, "Am I my brother's keeper?" I hope all of humanity comes to answer this queston in their hearts, "Yes, we are..."

(7)
N.Julie Feldsher,
November 10, 2004 12:00 AM

Thank you for shedding light on this.

I truly appreciate your work on this. It is tragic that so many are unaware of this part of American History - especially American Jews, many of whom are not only faithful Ford consumers, but also promoting Ford Motor Company.

(6)
ariel weisz,
April 19, 2004 12:00 AM

jew media did not dissuade nazism

One of the visitor's comments tries to refute the article's claim that only about 1% of the media was Jewish owned by noting that part of that 1% was the New York Times. The owner and editor was Jewish, but he belonged to that group of Jews who timidly shirked standing up for his people in order to appease hostile non-Jews and thereby futilely attempt to disarm antisemitic charges. He repeatedly nixed running reports, accounts, and editorials of the growing Nazi threat during the 1930's, so as not to have his paper appear to be a sounding board for "Jewish" interests/propaganda. He resented his (in)actions after the war, and the Times ran a story some decades later critical of its prior stance, but this was of little help to the victims of the Holocaust.

(5)
Anonymous,
October 27, 2003 12:00 AM

Use of jews as slaves

Because of these reazon I have stopped consuming proucts from Nestle and of course from Ford. For the links to the 3rd riech I do not ride a VW either. I would like to hear about the situation os Sudan slavery. It will be great if we can gain some insight to that situation

(4)
noah paulovic,
October 27, 2003 12:00 AM

imperative reading

I am SO glad Aish has posted work from Christopher Simpson. It is of CARDINAL importance that people be aware of Christopher Simpson's other fantastic research in "Blowback", on the American/Allied role in rescuing Nazis after WWII (to help "fight the war on communism"; the CIA, the Dulles brothers and others that "came to their own" out of WWII used them, their knowledge and skills to in reality protect American Military- Industrial-Intelligence interests; remember IBM, for example?), and "Splendid Blonde Beast", a book on how those who perpetuate genocide the world over escape prosecution by international laws *allegedly designed to protect victims* (the UN plays a HUGE role in all this; and remember those Dulles brothers?). Also "The Beast Reawakens" by Martin Lee is an expose of the "Nazintern", the Nazi international, how it survived and flourished during the (seemingly), Cold War, and how even into the 21st century, we continue to fight (literally and figuratively) a partisan guerilla war with Nazism and their REAL wartime "allies" (Arab terrorist networks, Iraq's chemical weapons program, etc). None of this is conspiracy, it is history. thank you again for bringing Christopher simpson to more public attention.

(3)
Margaret Webb,
October 27, 2003 12:00 AM

one other to add to Henry Ford and Lindenburgh

Why don't you tell the story of Margaret Sanger, founder of planned parenthood? She agreed with much of hitler's ideology, especially as regards genetic control and the superiority of certain races, economic circumstance, as well as educational capabilities. Of course she did not agree with abortion, this came later in planned parenthoods agenda. I would be most interested in a response.

(2)
Anonymous,
October 26, 2003 12:00 AM

Faulty conclusion wrt Jewish Media

Wrt " The "Jewish media" were the source of hostile reports concerning Hitler's Germany, Lindbergh contended. (In reality, fewer than one percent of news organizations were owned by Jews, the American newspaper trade association reported at the time.)"

The above parenthetical is disingenuous and does little to bolster your point. Though it may be technically correct that fewer than 1% of media outlets were Jewish owned it's unreasonable to conclude that all are equally prominent, equally influential. One couldnt reasonably equate a college newspaper, for example, with the New York Times in its effectiveness at researching and reporting issues and ultimately influencing people. The 1% ownership figure may be accurate but it does not accurately convey anything about the influence of Jewish owned media, as its inclusion implies.

(1)
Dan Hackins,
October 26, 2003 12:00 AM

Linbergh a Nazi

Look at the spinner off the prop of the Spirit of St. Louis -- it has a nazi swastika painted in it.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!